Trend emerging of young people getting their travel fix by mixing business with pleasure

19 October 2017
by Andrew McCorkell

Young professionals are combining work travel with holiday time, a report from Heathrow Express has found.

Image credit: iStock

A new study, the 'Heathrow Express Business Travel Insights Report 2017', has shown that young people are increasingly enjoying travel through work, amid pressure on disposable income and a fall in the amount of holiday they book.

Those under 35 are an age group most likely to enjoy business travel, with over 70% saying that travelling for work is an enjoyable part of their job.

It is this age group that is most likely to add extra days for leisure purposes and extend their trips for longer.

Heathrow Express director Fraser Brown said: "Not only do under-35s make up a growing proportion of our customer base, but they are clearly the sector that most enjoys travelling for business.

"Our research finds that if this age group can’t necessarily afford to take the same number of holidays as their parents or grandparents, then they will do their utmost to enjoy the travel they have to do for work."

Proportion of people saying they enjoy business travel as part of their job, by age:

16-24, 77.4%

25-34, 68.8%

35-44, 60%

45-54, 55.4%

55 - 64, 50.2%

Conference delegates add the most number of days for leisure purposes with 66% adding up to two weeks to their trip, the research reveals.